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Breed Notes - 8 Aug 2012

There is sad news first this week. I received an e mail from Min, up in Scotland, letting me know that Jiska was put to sleep on the 6th August to save her further suffering. She had pancreatic cancer which Min tried to control with diet, but the pain involved was just too much. Jiska was imported from Holland where she had been returned to her breeder at 6 months old supposedly for biting. She was thrown into a car boot and driven some 70 miles to Tilburg, in summer. Her breeder, Kees van Gorp, put her in a kennel, but few could get near her, so in the end she was left alone – only fed and watered and sent out to the yard for exercise. Min had had some bad luck trying to get a bitch through the pet passport rules, and decided to take a risk instead on this unlikely looking bitch. An operation delayed her export, and Kees kept her till her next season and mated her with an East German dog called Alex v Raisendorfer Hang. Min got the call from Holland that she was ready to move two weeks before a planned trip to Ireland, where she had arranged to go on the Irish circuit. The result was that a very pregnant bitch was carted round Eire and a litter produced a week early in a camp site, in a van, with 6 other dogs. Not ideal. That litter became Min’s “Kees Killarney” puppies, all of them surviving.

Jiska matured fast after this crazy start, and quickly learned how to cope with difficult situations. Min trained her as an urban search dog, and discovered that she was obsessed with tennis balls. Jiska competed in Agility and loved the show ring. Amongst her many wins she was Best Bitch and BoB at Crufts in 2007, as well as BoB on 3 other occasions. Jiska ruled Min’s household after her big male Codie died, and will be sorely missed. Our sympathies to Min, we have all been there.

I have almost copied Min’s e mail in these notes, but felt the tale of Jiska was well worth repeating, especially to those of you who just thought she was just another Hovawart. No such thing exists, and what a task for Min to undertake! I can’t think of many folk who would take that challenge on – well done Min. Other news now, Julie was chatting to me on the telephone after having her Gunner’s hips X-rayed, explaining that he was such a good boy they carried out the necessary procedure with just a sedative, total bill from the Vet - £127 (including £50 for the KC Cert.) On exactly the same subject, a bitch puppy (litter sister), also having a hip X-ray but with a GA…..£300 + KC Cert. as a £50 extra. Quite a difference there and it makes you wonder if you should travel further afield for treatment, or at least shop around for prices!
Couple of show results to finish with, Julie and Gunner got BD at Leeds in AVNSC, and Anne with Veronica got BB also in AVNSC.
All the dogs are still moulting, and balls of Hovawart tumbleweed blows into wet flower beds, and sticks. Sadly, the local bird population has finished nest-building for the year, so clearing it up is yet another little job! We are all loving the Olympics, but wish there could be a few dogs about!